Children's book of the week

It is a fairytale about a land where “people were always happy” — by royal decree. Misery is against the law. One day, a little boy, in the tradition of The Emperor’s New Clothes, breaks the rules and cries. Guards take him to the creepy-faced king, and the boy discovers that the fixed royal smile is a mask. Underneath, he and the king have an unhappiness in common. In the end the law is changed and everyone has a “really good cry”.

The book has a large cast of Breughelesque villagers in medieval costume, drawn with brown ink and autumnal watercolours, and is full of incident to explore. It also features an endearing dog. The tone is lively, cheerful and surprising, even though the book considers grief and how to deal with